'AZZERARE I RIFIUTI' of Guido Viale

by Alessio Sciurpa

Waste management is a central issue for the government, the urban liveability, the image of a territory, to defend the legality, but also for survival or development of entire economic sectors. And the record of recent years, sometimes dramatic, shows that everyone, not just professionals we have a duty to discuss old and new solutions about it. In “Azzerare I Rifiuti” (Zero Waste) Guido Viale that about environmental issues have already published a “Un mondo usa e getta” (1994) and “Tutti in taxi” (1996), updates the parts of a book published nine years ago, the “Governare I Rifiuti” (Governing Waste). ''The change of title (from Zero to Governing) is significant - writes Viale - a decisive change in the point of view.

The Zero Waste policy is now joined the more advanced strategies of government land. And to reach the threshold of zero waste is important, said Viale, address the problem ''by the head and not by the tail'', eliminating trade and production of all those 'goods' designed to turn into the most' shortest possible time in waste. But secondly we must go to the recovery of matter - like 'recycling - which can be done only by pushing up the recycling of municipal and businesses waste. The problem of waste is therefore within the opposition between two cultures: that of consumption and that of moderation '. And incinerators and landfills are all measures designed to resolve an emergency but are not the solution. We must change mindset ': consume less to produce less waste, and must reach the closure of production cycles, in which each producer is required to handle even the packaging, disassembly of the various residues and so on.